Cameron extremely concerned by Gaza crisis

BRITISH Prime Minister David Cameron has told his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu he is "extremely concerned" by violence in Gaza and has urged him to do all he can to avoid civilian casualties.

Cameron spoke by telephone with the Israeli leader on Thursday, repeating Foreign Secretary William Hague's earlier assertion that "Hamas bears the principal responsibility for the crisis", a Downing Street spokesman revealed.

"The prime minister said that he was extremely concerned by the dangerous situation and deeply sorry for the loss of civilian life on both sides," said the statement.

"He said the rocket attacks from Gaza into southern Israel by Hamas and other armed groups were completely unacceptable and that the increasing frequency of rocket attacks in recent days was the immediate cause of the situation.

"He made clear that Hamas bears the principal responsibility for crisis," added the spokesman.

Cameron stressed that the main priority was to de-escalate the crisis and called on Netanyahu "to do all he could to avoid civilian casualties" and prevent a spiral of violence "that would be in no one's interest".

Militants defied a major Israeli bombing campaign across Gaza on Thursday, firing off volleys of rockets that killed three Israelis and sparked panic in Tel Aviv.

As Palestinian deaths from relentless air strikes rose to 19, Defence Minister Ehud Barak gave the go-ahead for 30,000 reservists to be called up, with the army saying it was "in the process of expanding the campaign".